Leiths News
We always like to hear from former students. Please email us at marketing@leiths.com and let us know when you were at Leiths and what you are doing now.
02nd April 2013
Revolutionary tapas with Omar Allibhoy
We are very excited to announce a new workshop here at Leiths with young Spanish talent Omar Allibhoy. Inspired by the recipes from his exciting tapas bar Tapas Revolution, and drawing on some of the recipes from his cookery book out this August (published by Ebury), he will be teaching a hands-on class focussed on tapas on the 5th June.
As a bit of a teaser, here is Omar’s recipe for Pulpo a la Gallega
Pulpo a la Gallega (for 4 people as a tapa). Octopus is such a soft textured animal. Once cooked it becomes a bit chewy. It is one of Spain’s greatest delicacies in my opinion and again that is one of the reasons why we do so little to it. Simplicity at its best.
1kg small octopus , defrosted
200g of new potatoes
1 tea spoon of Sweet pimenton
Flake salt to season
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Bring a big pot of water to the boil.
Clean the octopus by shaking it under cold running water so that it releases any bit of sand it may have. Remove the brain and beak.
Grab de octopus by the head and immerse as much of the octopus as you can (without burning your fingers) inside the boiling water and quickly bring it back up above the water for 5 seconds. Repeat this move 3 times releasing onto the water on the last inmersion, this will help for the skin not to break.
Boil it for around 20 – 30 minutes depending on the size or until tender. You can spot when an octopus is ready by skewering the tentacles and feeling it or by lifting it from the water with some tongues and observing if the tentacles had ease and look like dead (like when your arms are tired and go down without resistance).
On the same pot and while the octopus is boiling add the potatoes approximately 15 minutes before the octopus suppose to be ready. A normal size new potato takes to be cooked something between 14 and 20 mins.
Drain both the new potatoes and octopus and slice into 1 cm thick slices. Dress with a bit of Maldon salt and be very generous sprinkling the sweet pimenton and dressing with a good Spanish olive oil.
Note: The bigger the octopus the longer it takes to cook:
1kg around 25 mins; 2kgs around 35 mins; 3kgs around 40 mins; 4kgs and above around 45 mins.
15th March 2013
Leiths raise record amount for Kids Company charity
Leiths hosted its annual charity canapé evening at the School last Friday and raised a record amount of £5,697 for their chosen charity Kids Company.
It was a fun filled event, with a delicious range of canapés made by the teachers. Treats included, black pudding quail scotch eggs; pan fried seabass with fennel puree and hazelnut dressing; truffled goats cheese and beetroot on homemade oatcakes and the most popular canapé; rhubarb, custard and pink champagne trifle.
Through a combination of raffle prizes and ticket sales, £5697 was raised for for Kids Company, with generous raffle donations from Yotam Ottolenghi, Chez Bruce, Peter Gordon, Valentine Warner, BBC Good Food Magazine, Delicious Magazine, Whisk Cook Shop to name but a few. The money raised will mean 5697 hot meals for children who would otherwise go without with their plate pledge.
Founded by Camilla Batmanghelidjh in 1996, Kids company provides practical, emotional and educational support to vunerable children and young people and reaches over 36,000 children and young people every year www.kidsco.org.uk
Leiths teachers and students will also making 500 cupcakes for kids company at the beginning of May to raise further funds.
25th February 2013
British Beer Tasting
The rise of craft beer is a hot topic in the London gastro scene, going so far as to spawn an honorary two day craft beer festival, Craft Beer Rising last week at The Old Truman Brewery. This March, The Beer Academy will be joining us for a beer and food tasting at Leiths.
21st January 2013
Leiths Alumni publish The Vegetarian Pantry
Leiths graduates Chloe Coker and Jane Montgomery, who met during the 2010-11 Diploma, have joined forces to pen The Vegetarian Pantry.
29th November 2012
Leiths Diploma graduate wins BBC Food and Farming Award
We want to extend our congratulations to Tom Calver, a former Leiths Diploma Student, who has won the prestigious, BBC Food and Farming, Best Producer Award for his Westcombe Dairy cheddar cheese.
05th November 2012
The Saracens train at Leiths
Over the last 5 weeks, Leiths has been training some budding chefs, known more for their skills on the rugby field than for their knife skills. But perhaps not for long.
01st October 2012
Leiths graduate earns Michelin star
Leiths diploma graduate Joe Mercer Nairne has been awarded a Michelin star, it was announced last week. Opened in 2011 to praise from critics and locals alike, Medlar is a joint venture between head chef Joe and David O’Connor, who both worked together at Chez Bruce.
12th September 2012
Feeling Cheesy?
If you love cheese, and want to tickle your tastebuds, our cheese tasting class with Tom Badcock is a must. Tom is passionate about cheese and will bring the most exotic and pungent cheeses for you to taste. Tom is also a food historian and you will find yourself fascinated as he guides you through the evolution of cheesemaking.
Further details can be found here. http://tinyurl.com/ckm29l3
20th August 2012
Leiths graduate publishes Esther’s Best
Leiths is proud to annouce that graduate Esther Brunning has published a new cookery book ‘Esther’s Best’. Inspired by the recipes devised by her and her husband Richard at their restaurant Mistley Quay Café on the Stour Estuary in Essex, the book is simple, accessible and unpretentious.
07th August 2012
Catering for a critic
Any Giles Coren followers out there will no doubt have caught his Saturday Times Magazine review of The Royal Oak in Wiltshire this weekend. He loved the gastro pub, but positively praised this year’s Diploma student, Cara Belcher, who catered for him down in Devon through Leiths List.